Days After Attending Event at the Villa, Kwankwaso Accuses Tinubu of Marginalising North

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

A former Kano State Governor and ex-presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, yesterday lashed out at the administration of President Bola Tinubu, accusing it of sidelining Northern Nigeria in federal development projects while concentrating resources in the southern part of the country.

Speaking during the Kano State Stakeholders’ Dialogue on the 2025 Constitutional Amendment, Kwankwaso criticised the government for what he called lopsided allocation of the national budget, warning that the imbalance could deepen insecurity and poverty in the North.

“From the information available to us, it’s like most of the national budget is now tilting in one direction,” he said.

Kwankwaso, who came fourth in the 2023 presidential election with 1.49 million votes, said poor infrastructure in the North, particularly roads, reflected years of underinvestment by successive governments, including the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Recalling a recent travel experience, he said: “I had to go by road from Abuja to Kano, and it was a nightmare. The roads are terrible. That road has been under construction since the beginning of APC’s leadership.”

In contrast, he noted that the federal government was allocating massive funds to new road projects connecting the South to the East, which, though beneficial, shouldn’t come at the expense of the North.

“We support infrastructure development anywhere in Nigeria. But taking our collective resources and concentrating them in one part of the country while other regions are abandoned is not only unfair, it’s dangerous,” he said.

He warned that the neglect of the north would have nationwide consequences, comparing it to a desert whose effects would eventually spread.

“That is why we have insecurity, we have poverty. These things may be concentrated in the north now, but like a desert, they will eventually affect every region,” he added.

Kwankwaso called on the federal government to demonstrate fairness in project distribution and use the moment to correct the growing perception of regional bias.

“This is the time for the government to change to convince our people that it is not just on one side of the country,” he said.

Kwankwaso’s remarks came just days after attending Sustainability of Nigeria’s Forest to Unlocking the $2 Billion Potential for Economic and Financial Inclusion which held at the Conference Centre of the Presidential Villa, Abuja

Though it is not certain whether he met with the President on that on occasion, but all these are unfolding at a time of heightened political calculations, as parties begin positioning for the 2027 general election.

The recent closed-door meeting with Tinubu had sparked speculation about a potential alliance, especially as Tinubu’s APC eyes consolidation against opposition coalitions being formed by Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi.

The Kano politician remains a key political figure with vast influence in Kano, particularly through his Kwankwasiyya Movement.

In the 2023 election, Kwankwaso dominated Kano with 997,279 votes, winning in 38 of the 44 local government areas. His influence remains critical in a region known for its high voter turnout.